OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — If you thought your child would have to go home from school early with lice, national health guidelines actually said they don’t. KFOR spoke with a local expert who said she understands why they state that, but still disagrees.
“Their parents struggle with getting rid of lice and they’ve been struggling for days and the school won’t let them back in and so they’re the parents will end up facing truancy charges,” Frances Dickerson said, referring to her understanding of the guidelines.
Dickerson owns Liceology , a lice treatment facility, in northeast Oklahoma City. While she said she understands the CDC’s guidelines, she doesn’t necessarily agree.
“Lice can spread very easily, so it puts everyone else at risk,” she said.
The guidelines state students can go home at the end of the day, get treated and return the next day.
A couple districts we spoke to have policy requiring the opposite. Oklahoma City Public Schools procedure requires getting a parent to come get the student to take them home. If they can’t get them, the student will be accommodated in the classroom and excluded at the end of the day. If nits, or eggs, are found, the student can’t come back until they’re gone. The same goes there for Mustang Public Schools.